Now that summer is here, I hope that everyone is filling their beach bags with fun vacation reads. I have to say, my bag is empty right now. I need your help finding quick, fun, light books to fill my lazy hours. So here’s the deal:
Leave me your best summer fluff read (title & author, please) in the comments for this post with the reason why you think I’ll love it AND your contact information. If I pick your suggestion, I will send you a fresh, direct from Amazon.com copy of Driving Sideways by Jess Riley. This funny, touching book blew me away with it’s laugh out loud story of a young woman’s journey across country with a delinquent teenager, wisecracking girlfriend and her “guardian angel”, Larry. The passage with the flying kayak, dishy cop and the loaded pistol nearly made me bust a gut laughing. Trust me. You will love this story, too.
Filling my book bag with summer reading and sharing my new fave? That’s what works for me! For more WFMW ideas visit www.rocksinmydryer.typepad.com
22 responses so far ↓
1
witchypoo
// Jun 11, 2008 at 6:06 am
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver isn’t so much fluff as it is impossible to put down. Actually, any of her books are like that.
2
Green Girl
// Jun 11, 2008 at 7:36 am
Summer fluff I have loved…everything by Wendy Holden–Simply Divine, School for Husbands, she’s great.
3
Janet
// Jun 11, 2008 at 8:23 am
Two mystery series by Donna Andrews. One is about a female blacksmith named Meg Lanslow and her wacky family. (First titles: Murder with Peacocks. There are 7 or 8 in this series now.) The other is about an articificial intelligence named Turing Hopper. (It’s not so much fluff unless you happen to me more of a technogeek than I am, but it’s a fascinating concept. First title: You’ve Got Murder. I think she has 4 total in this series.)
4
Jen on the Edge
// Jun 11, 2008 at 8:33 am
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. I know, techincally, it’s a classic, but the book is just so gripping that it’s impossible to put down. It’s in my top 5 favorites and I’m sucked in every time I read it.
5
Playful Professional
// Jun 11, 2008 at 8:45 am
The best books I’ve read recently are the Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer so definitely check those out if you haven’t read them yet… but summer fluff hmm probably Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella. Funny and pretty silly.
6
margalit
// Jun 11, 2008 at 8:47 am
I’ve got a few recommendations. If you like political thrillers, try Rubicon by Lawrence Alexander. It’s a ‘blistering indictment of our current political climate’ that describes a wicked plot about the next election. It is a great beach read, a real page turner.
Have you read Moose by Stephanie Klein yet? GREAT read. It’s the compacted story of her years in “fat camp” and of living those horrendous middle school years. Read it.
Stolen Innocence by Elissa Wall is the story of her forced marriage and then subsequent escape from the FLDS church. Chilling and very timely.
And finally, All the Way Home by David Giffels, the hilarious story of a very young couple who bought the ultimate ‘fixer upper’, a mansion in Akron Ohio in such disrepair the seller was hiding the fact that it was to be condemned. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll read about a man who grew up dealing with the insanity of rebuilding a dream home.
7
Tara
// Jun 11, 2008 at 9:01 am
Jan Karon is writing more books about Father Tim! My husband and I just finished “Home in Holly Hills” or something like that. Great fluff, but riviting as well, especially if you’ve read the Mitford series she also wrote.
I left my contact information above, but if something gets lost on the information superhighway you can contact me through my blog at http://www.minnesotamamma.blogspot.com! Enjoy!
8
Melissa
// Jun 11, 2008 at 9:32 am
I have two favorite authors… Francine Rivers and Dee Henderson.
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers.
Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers.
Danger in the Shadows (Prequel to The O’Malley Series) by Dee Henderson
The O’Malley series by Dee Henderson.
You wont be dissapointed in these authors! They are amazing!
Happy reading!
9
charlotte
// Jun 11, 2008 at 10:08 am
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls - fun funny tragic sad but all through it you just sense hope and family togetherness and love. Great read.
Or… The Clan of the Cave Bear. An oldie but a goodie - you can pick this up in any thrift store for about 99 cents. Great read! Can’t put it down (don’t ever see the movie - horrid!) I’ve re-read it about 20 times. Whenever I need a good poolside book or just snack food for my mind, The Clan of the Cave Bear is it for me.
I’m glad to see your post, my son and I have been going to the library regularly and I’m always looking for something to get - I’ll use your list myself.
Thanks!
10
charlotte
// Jun 11, 2008 at 10:09 am
Sorry - Clan of the Cave Bear is by Jean M Auel.
11
Crystal
// Jun 11, 2008 at 10:12 am
The two most fun books I have read recently were:
“Julie and Julia” by Julie Powell: OK, this one is hilarious but not for everyone. She has kind of a potty mouth, slams Republicans a lot, and doesn’t believe in God or any kind of afterlife. That said, she is a brilliant writer that will make you laugh out loud. The book is about her attempts to pull herself out of a funk by cooking all 527 recipes in Julia Childs first cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, in one calendar year. The weird things she makes, and eats, and the trials she has in the meantime are absolutely hilarious. She also starts a blog about the whole experience and ends up with some creepy blog stalkers. Funny, funny, funny!
and
“Eat, Pray, Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert It is written in a similar style to “Julie and Julia”…very conversational…kind of girl talky. But it is about the author’s journery through Italy (where she eats), India (where she meditates and prays), and Indonesia (where she finally finds love). A great read. I laughed so much!!
12
Kristen M.
// Jun 11, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Anything by Shannon Hale. Austenland for adults or her young adult books like Princess Academy or The Goose Girl.
13
Traci Anne
// Jun 11, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Moose - Stephanie Klein
Such a Pretty Fat - Jen Lancaster
Get Out of That Pit - Beth Moore
All of them=SO GOOD.
14
apathy lounge
// Jun 11, 2008 at 4:46 pm
I’m finding that personal memoir works well with the reading of blogs. And if it’s a funny memoir…all the better. Cynthia Kaplan has two: WHY I’M LIKE THIS and LEAVE THE BUILDING QUICKLY. Then there’s Sarah Thyre’s DARK AT THE ROOTS. Sarah used to be a comedian with the Upright Citizens’ Brigade on Comedy Central. Hope you pick me. I went to Barnes and Noble to find Jess’ book and couldn’t. Find it, that is.
15
Julie
// Jun 11, 2008 at 6:50 pm
I’d recommend “Balancing Act” (book 1) and “Bottom Line” (book 2) by Kimberly Stuart. She has such a great sense of humor and it comes across in her writing. Perfect for summer fluff reading!
Julie
16
Hen
// Jun 12, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Hahaha - you want ‘fluff’….visit today’s post - perfect fluff…..
17
Angie Garza
// Jun 12, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Each summer my Mom and I read the latest Janet Evanovich book. This year it will be Fearless Fourteen. I just finished The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. My son is reading Robinson Crusoe and my daughter is reading Of Mice and Men.
18
bunny
// Jun 13, 2008 at 2:04 am
Earthly Pleasures by Karen Neches and anything from Shannon Hale. They’re fun and light reads!
You’ll wanna finish the book in one sitting!
19
Lisa
// Jun 13, 2008 at 2:21 pm
OK I’ll name two–both a tad dark.
The first is “The Pact” by Jodi Picoult. Tragic story of two young kids but you cannot put it down until you are done.
The next is the very creepy but cannot put down for even a second, “Fight Club” by Chuck Palhunik . This book had me thinking for weeks. There’s this phrase that really sums up the book
“You buy furniture. You tell yourself, this is the last sofa I will ever need in my life. Buy the sofa, then for a couple years you’re satisfied that no matter what goes wrong, at least you’ve got your sofa issue handled. Then the right set of dishes. Then the perfect bed. The drapes. The rug. Then you’re trapped in your lovely nest, and the things you used to own, now they own you.”
Just two very different books
20
K
// Jun 14, 2008 at 12:58 am
You MUST read anything and everything by Phyllis Diller. I got started with her autobiography, “Like a Lampshade in a Whorehouse,” and moved on to her helpful hints manuals from the 60s. Phyllis is hilarious, and her hints are timeless. Example: If your husband wants to lick the beaters on the mixer, shut them off before you give them to him.
21
wrekehavoc
// Jun 16, 2008 at 12:46 pm
hey there, visiting by way of derfwad manor
i’ll go out on a limb and hit the non-fiction world, which is what i like to read when the kids aren’t driving me to drink. I’m with the Band: Confessions of a Groupie (Paperback) by pamela des barres is pretty fluffy and freaky and gossipy. i also recently enjoyed pattie boyd (harrison, clapton, then back to boyd)’s bio, especially when i read clapton’s autobiography hot on it’s heels. she was a world-class muse.
on the other hand, anything by david sedaris is pretty funny, too
22
Lisa C
// Jun 25, 2008 at 4:19 pm
I loved Stone Creek by Victoria Lustbader, Anywhere but Here by Mona Simpson, and Ya Yas in Bloom by Rebecca Wells. All good summer reads.
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